Amazing Ninja Run

Runner games are usually endless, in the sense that they just get harder and harder to survive but never actually end. Hence, it is always possible to beat your highscore, even if that means surviving for one extra second after a dangerous jump. They can also get frustrating after a while, on the other hand, especially if the controls or the mechanics are not fluid enough.

Amazing Ninja Run is a freerunning game in which you play the role of an agile ninja followed by a nasty spider. Your task is to jump, slide and switch from one platform to the other, while also collecting coins and attacking the incoming enemies. All of these things come into play at different parts during your run, which means that it gets more difficult as you manage to get further and further.

However, it’s quite noticeable from the first few seconds of gameplay that this required a lot more polish to be enjoyable. The game feels too stiff and rushed, which is mostly obvious in the level design, character animations, and the way your character responds to input. Since the whole purpose of the game is to have good reflexes and move quickly, the fact that you cannot do that because of the mechanics is infuriating.

To keep you invested in the action, the levels get more intricate after the first few meters. Random events like more spiders and falling boulders make an appearance, not to mention the various kinds of pipes and planks you get to run on. These do not affect the atmosphere very much, but it’s nice to see some variety in the game, even if it’s not much.

There are bugs to plague your experience as well, some of which can outright cause you to lose. Your character is sometimes flung to the wrong side of the platform when you are trying to switch, not to mention the random hangups and glitches that cause the ninja to pass through objects. It may not sound like much in a regular game, but it makes all the difference in a game where reflexes are supposed to help you survive.

In the end, Amazing Ninja Run is just a mobile port that might or might not provide you with a few minutes of fun. The controls on the keyboard are pretty awful, as are the graphics and the general level design. However, with a bit of dedication from the developers, this could still turn into something more enjoyable.